The Best Kind of Therapy

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Oliver and Aubree walked down the road right outside her house and they just talked. They had only been talking for about 30 minutes but Aubree had already found so much in common with him. They talked about everything from their favorite hobbies to careers but Aubree was having a hard time telling him about her issues. Was it even appropriate? Oli had told her about his issues.

Oli was having a hard time getting Aubree to open up but he knew she would soon enough. Every time he looked at her, he wanted to just hug her. She was too good of a person to feel the way she was feeling. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey Bree, why don't you meet me at the beach tomorrow?" He asked, trying not to hold his breath while he was waiting for her answer. Why was he so nervous about it? He had never been nervous around any other girl so why now?

"Um, sure. Which beach?" Aubree was trying to fight the butterflies but she was losing...hard.

"Cleethorpes."

Aubree thought that sounded okay. She had been to that beach before, it was beautiful and wasn't very far from Sheffield. It was only about an hour out. The only bad thing about it was you had to wait until the sea was in otherwise it was hard to swim or see. She agreed to come though, it would be fun and it was supposed to be a hot sunny day. You don't see that everyday in England.

The two of them walked and talked for a few more minutes before they decided it was time to split. Oli gave Aubree an awkward one armed hug and Aubree felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. They were so strong it almost hurt. She watched as he drove away and she felt herself smile. Oliver was a genuine guy from what she could tell.

When Aubree walked back into her house, her mother was standing by the couch with her arms crossed and a huge smile on her face.

"What?" Aubree asked, taking off her jacket. Justine grabbed her daughters hands and dragged her into her own bedroom. Aubree raised an eyebrow and sat down on her bed.

"So?" Justine pressed, feeling excited for her daughter. She really believed that if Aubree met the right guy, she would feel better. And Justine felt in her heart that that Oliver boy was the right one.

"Oh my god. Mom, he's just a friend. I literally just met him today."

"So? I only knew your father for an hour before I had sex with him!"

"God! I don't wanna hear this!" Aubree's hands flew to her ears to cover them up. She didn't want to hear about her parent's escapades.

"All I'm saying is that he seems like a nice enough guy and I think he likes you." Justine's voice suddenly got softer. She was excited for her daughter.

"I dunno, mom. Why would someone be interested in someone like me?"

"Aubree Jayde Hannigan, you are the most beautiful young lady I have ever met. You have a big heart and an awesome personality. You just need to find it again. I remember when you were little, you would see strangers at the store and you would just go up and talk to them. You had no judgment. You were so open and trusting with people and it breaks my heart to see you the exact opposite now. It kills me to know that I didn't see how much pain you were going through. As your parent, I was supposed to protect you from that pain and I thought you were just doing those things for attention. I screwed up."

Aubree felt her eyes water as she watched her mom crying. Suddenly she felt guilty for ever telling her mom about all of her issues. She knew that she needed to get it out in the open but she didn't want to cause her mom to feel like it was her fault. Without saying a word, Aubree wrapped her mom into a warm hug.

"It is not your fault, mom. It's the fault of the people that used to torment me. It's the fault of the school that wouldn't do anything. No matter what you decide to believe, it is not yours and Daddy's fault. There's no way that you could have known soon enough. I wasn't exactly open about it."

As Aubree and Justine sat there talking, Logan walked through the front door with a sigh. He didn't have the best news in the world for his family. He poured himself a drink and called for his wife and daughter. How was he going to break this to them? How was he going to tell them that his company was relocating?

Aubree and her mom walked into the living room where her dad sat and Aubree furrowed her eyebrows. It was rare that her dad ever drank but when he did, she knew that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong Daddy?" She asked sitting down next to him.

"Well, the company's relocating. Which means, that we're moving back to Orlando."

Orlando, Florida, Aubree's hometown. She would give anything to live there again but she couldn't just leave work or pack everything up. It would be better if she just stayed at the house while they left. She was 23 years old, she could take care of herself. Sure, she would miss her parents but this sounded like a good opportunity to her.

"That sounds like an amazing opportunity if you ask me." She said honestly, running her hand through her hair. Logan looked over to her and saw the genuine expression on her face.

"Would you want to come or stay?" This was it. This was Aubree's opportunity to strike.

"I'd want to stay. I have work and Whiskey, I can't just up and leave that easily." Justine nodded her head, agreeing with Aubree.

Aubree was glad that her parents were seeing eye to eye with her. She was afraid that they would get over protective and would make her go with them. It was about damn time that she had a place to herself.